The invention relates to a disc brake for a commercial vehicle having a brake caliper which has a receiving space for functional parts. A mounting and functional opening of the receiving space is closed by way of a closure plate which is penetrated by at least one actuating spindle of a brake application unit.
In a disc brake of this type, the brake caliper straddles a brake disc. Two brake pads are arranged in the caliper to be pressed functionally onto the brake disc. A receiving space is provided in the caliper, in which a brake application device with actuating spindles is positioned.
In order to protect the functional parts, a mounting and functional opening of the receiving space which faces the brake disc is closed by a closure plate which is penetrated by the actuating spindles. Otherwise, the closure plate serves as a support part of various attachment components, such as boots, seals and the like.
The fastening of the closure plate takes place by threaded fasteners, such as screws, which are arranged circumferentially in the edge region and are screwed into the brake caliper.
For effective sealing of the closure plate against the brake caliper, in order to prevent the penetration of moisture and dirt into the receiving space, the closure plate bears against the brake caliper in a sealed manner.
To this end, a sealing cord is provided which bears on one side circumferentially against the edge region of the closure plate and on the other side against a support face of the brake caliper. The seal, which is composed of an elastic material, is compressed during screwing on the closure plate to such an extent that a sufficient sealing action is achieved.
For the circumferential screw connection of the closure plate to the brake caliper, a corresponding number of threaded bores are to be made in the brake caliper, which is naturally possible only with corresponding, cost-increasing, manufacturing complexity.
Moreover, on account of the multiplicity of screws which are used, the mounting and dismantling of the closure plate, that is to say the tightening and releasing of the screws, becomes time-intensive and therefore likewise relatively expensive.
The known construction is therefore a barrier to the constant requirements for, first of all, inexpensive manufacturing, and secondly for inexpensive mounting and dismantling.
The invention is based on the object of developing a disc brake of the above-mentioned type such that it can be manufactured and mounted more simply and less expensively.
This and other objects are achieved by way of a disc brake for a commercial vehicle having a brake caliper which has a receiving space for functional parts. A mounting and functional opening of the receiving space is closed by way of a closure plate which is penetrated by at least one actuating spindle of a brake application unit. The closure plate is screwed in a first part region to the brake caliper and is held, in a second part region, on the brake caliper in a positively locking manner.
As a result of the partial interlocking connection (positively locking) of the closure plate to the brake caliper, the introduction of threaded bores into the brake caliper can be dispensed with in this region, which results in a considerable simplification during the machining of the brake caliper, with the resulting cost advantages.
Since a build-up of material on the caliper for introducing the threaded bores is also not required in this region, in principle the mounting opening can have a larger design, which naturally facilitates mounting work, by way of which functional parts are to be introduced into or removed from the receiving space.
Screws are provided in the remaining part region as was the case previously, which screws make it possible to release the closure plate from the brake caliper without destroying it. The result is that the closure plate can be reused, for example, after functional parts are repaired, with only a replacement of the seal.
According to one advantageous aspect, a longitudinal groove is provided in the lower edge region (that is to say, closer to the axis of the brake disc) of the mounting and functional openings in the brake caliper, into which longitudinal groove the closure plate, which is composed of sheet metal, can be inserted from above before the screw connection takes place.
Here, in the final position, the closure plate bears in a planar manner against the associated surface in the edge region of the mounting and functional opening, with sufficient contact pressure on the seal between the brake caliper and the closure plate.
Whereas the groove which is provided on the brake caliper for receiving an edge region of the closure plate is preferably continuous, to be precise substantially over the entire elongated length of the closure plate, there is certainly the possibility of dividing up the length of the groove into discrete sections. The result is that groove sections are produced, in which the closure plate lies. Reducing the length of the groove in this manner can lead to a reduction in the brake caliper weight and, therefore, helps achieve the constant requirement, in particular, for the purpose of saving fuel.
However, it has to be ensured here that the closure plate bears against the seal with sufficient contact pressure.
As mentioned, the plug-in profile, that is to say the groove, is provided on the lower edge region of the mounting opening on the brake caliper. Accordingly, the screw connection is arranged on the upper edge region relative to an imaginary longitudinal axis of the closure plate or the mounting and functional opening.
During mounting of the closure plate, it is first of all to be inserted (pushed) merely from above through an assembly opening of the brake caliper into the groove, whereupon subsequently the screw connection takes place. The seal, usually a sealing cord, has previously been attached to the closure cover.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.